Edit: check "route -n" as root in terminal without quotes for your gateway, also /etc/resolv.conf (at work and can't confirm this but I think this is where the nameserver ip is.) stuck using OTHER OP. it should have your dns server listed there.end Edit:

Edit: check "route -n" as root in terminal without quotes for your gateway, also /etc/resolv.conf (at work and can't confirm this but I think this is where the nameserver ip is.) stuck using OTHER OP. it should have your dns server listed there.end Edit:

nightshift

Thanks, nightshift.

Output of route -n (using cable connection at present, so is this valid?) is:

Martin109: Is your nic a eth0 or a ath0? Do you have an internal nic card that is hard wired to your computer? the gateway belongs to eth0! -- ath0 is not in the rouning table, do what uelsk8s said and then re-run the route -n. It should show a ath0 in the routing table. If it does then you will have to straighten out the routing table. To get wireless connection to the internet the gateway has to belong to ath0. The nameserver may be the correct one, not sure but if you are connected to a cable modem the nameserver may have come from your ISP. wait a minute # Generated by dhcpcd for interface eth0 again the dns was created by eth0. I am not that familiar with dns and don't know if by eth0 creating it, if it will affect ath0, but I think it won't. You will have to cross that bridge when you get there. Maybe someone with more dns expierence can guide you on this.

the terminal will cycle endlessly, trying to associate, but then timing out, and tries again, ad infinitum.

That once got me into trouble, when I thought I'd cracked how to do this, and put the lines into /etc/rc.d/rc.local, and the system behaved as above, and could not complete booting! I had to re-install!

Can you give advice on:

a) how to get all commands to sequence without the hanging after calling wpa_supplicant?b) how to avoid the system not associating with the network and continuously sysling while trying?

You should include '-B' (i.e. run the daemon in the background) switch to your command line as suggested by nightshift. I tend to use '-Bw' which runs the daemon in the background and will wait for the interface to be added to the system rather than just dying if the interface is not found (I recommend this if you're adding the line to rc.local).

One more note: if you ever get into a position where a normal boot hangs like that you don't have to reinstall. You can boot in single user mode. When lilo comes up hit your Tab key. You will then be able to enter the lilo line that boots the kernel. Simply add the word "single" to that line and you'll boot into the console in single user mode with no networking. You can then make whatever changes you need to make to repair your system. Entering the command init 4 will then end single user mode and complete a normal boot assuming you boot to the GUI as a desktop. If not substitue your preferred runlevel for the 4.

The other (alternate) method is to boot to a live CD. It doesn't matter if it's VL Live or another distro so long as it supports the filesystem you are using. Then mount your hard drive, fix whatever is broken, and reboot into VL.

One of the nice things about Linux is you rarely if ever have to reinstall because something gets broken. Heck, you rarely even need to reboot unless you install a new kernel.